The present invention generally relates to portable supports, and more particularly, to a portable support having an extendable rod for supporting surveying equipment and the like.
Surveying equipment is commonly supported by tripod having telescoping legs that can be retracted for transport and storage. Frequently, surfaces are surveyed far from roads and sidewalks where equipment must be carried over broken terrain for considerable distances to reach the site. As a result, it is imperative that tripods be light weight and collapsible for easy transport. The ability to collapse, however, can be a source of imprecision in supporting surveying equipment because tolerances of the collapsible features may be or become loose over time, allowing the tripod to wobble. On occasion, surveying measurements require that the equipment be a substantial distance above the surface on which feet of the tripod rest. Most conventional tripods do not permit the surveying equipment to be raised substantial distances without wobbling and adversely affecting precision. Further, conventional tripods do not permit the surveying equipment to be supported in spaces below the tripod feet. Positioning the surveying equipment below the tripod feet is required to measure subterranean spaces and the like. Thus, there is a need for portable supports that remain stable when supporting equipment substantial distances above the surface on which the support rests or when supporting equipment below the surface.